Philophobia
by Lexi1989
Summary: Philophobia (Greek philia, love phobia, fear) - a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of falling in love and having a deep relationship with somebody. She wasn't just afraid. She loathed the concept of it. What she didn't know was that she wasn't just going to fall in love. She would actually crash into it. [AU]
1. Chapter 1: SURPRISE!

**So since I scrapped 'Time After Time'. (With a heavy heart, mind you. It was the first time I decided to delete a story) I decided to go a different route with my "official" 25** **th** **story. I am still going for a RukaRu fic but this time I'm writing in a genre I feel that I can cope with. ;)**

 **I've had this buried deep within the recesses of my "Future Stories" folder on my laptop and thought this is the perfect replacement for Time After Time. XD**

 **Enjoy!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

 **P.S. YoNaMe this is for you still! XD**

* * *

 **PHILOPHOBIA**

 **CHAPTER 1: SURPRISE!**

She was sitting on the couch with a bowl of popcorn. Her eyes were glued to the screen. She didn't mind that she was left alone in the living room of her best friend's house (which was a few houses down from hers), her best friend having gone up to her bedroom to get something how many minutes ago. She'd offered to pause the movie but her best friend waved her off saying it wasn't a big deal and saying she'd be right back. But unlike the usual, she didn't count the minutes nor think about what's taking too long for her best friend to come back. She was totally engrossed in the movie.

Her face was expressionless. Blank as a fresh canvass just waiting to be painted. But she had always been like that. She was never one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, or her face.

The movie she was watching was a sequel of a new twist to a very old fairytale. Not that she believed in those stories of 'happily ever after'. She didn't. If you were to ask her why, she would most definitely answer with "Love is for saps. There is no such thing as happily ever after." And that being said with conviction in her tone.

Yes. Hotaru Imai hated the idea of falling in love. She didn't hate love per se. She loved her family. She loved seafood. She sort of loved her best friend. (Well, you know, in a platonic sisterly kind of way.) But she just didn't like the idea of falling in love. She'd never been in love and had no immediate plans to fall in love anytime soon. She thought exactly like what was being said by a character in the movie she was watching " _Love is a lie. It is a trick played by the cruel on the foolish and the weak."_

She had seen a number of her friends fall in love and then end up brokenhearted. She'd been there to witness most of the ups and downs of falling in love. Here's a recap of the first time she witnessed the curse of falling in love.

When she witnessed her classmate get all giddy about receiving roses from a guy in the junior class during their freshman year, she thought "Well, that was a nice gesture."

When she witnessed said classmate being asked to prom by that same guy from the junior year, and at the same time being asked to be his girlfriend, she thought "Well, that was sweet."

When her classmate confided in her the day after prom that she had done "it" with her boyfriend, she thought "Well that escalated quickly."

When she received a call in the middle of the night, waking her up from a good night's sleep, a few weeks later to listen to her classmate's rant about how her boyfriend doesn't call her anymore, she thought "Well that can't be good."

And finally when she stood in the school cafeteria, watching as her classmate got dumped by her cheating boyfriend, she thought "Hell no, I'm not ever going through that."

Not to mention the fact that she had to endure hours and hours of comforting the poor creature that had her heart handed back to her in small broken pieces. She didn't even like to think of the mess it had left in her bedroom. In an attempt to cheer her up, her best friend had volunteered to host a sleepover with a few of the girls from the same class. The thing is, she volunteered to host it but had it set up in Hotaru's house, much to the latter's annoyance. They'd set up a rom-com DVD marathon, which ended up with her broken hearted classmate bawling over the smallest things or the most emotional, romantic scenes in the movies they watched. The pile of wadded up tissues quickly filled up the small trash bin she had in her bedroom and who knows how many pints of Baskin Robbins ice cream they had consumed that night.

To make matters worse, that experience didn't traumatize her classmate. In fact, she'd rebounded so quickly (completely disregarding the 3 month rule) and had been in too many relationships for Hotaru to keep track of. Hotaru however, felt like that experience scarred her instead. She seriously did not want to go through all that bullshit. Her bright, logical mind thought of all the possible scenarios and never once did she get to an end point where no one gets hurt. It didn't mean she didn't date. She had gone out with a guy or two, but she never let them close enough, or let them know enough about her to have them decide to ask her for a second date. The odds always were not in favor for love. And so she decided to just play it safe, and avoid falling in love at all costs. She even went as far as trying to convince her best friend of the same thing.

* * *

The movie she was watching had the narrator say the same principle of thinking that she always been warning her best friend about.

" _Once upon a time, a man and a woman fell in love. But such things cannot last, For the heart is a treacherous thing and love, love is nothing more than a fairy tale…"_

Love was indeed treacherous. It was a traitor. It made you feel happy at first, only to hurt you in the end. At least, that's what she believed. And now that they were about to start their senior year, she had been mostly successful at not falling in love.

When her hand touched the cool bottom of the bowl, indicating that her popcorn had run out, it was only then that she noticed she'd been alone for almost an hour now, halfway into the movie. She hit pause on the remote, and walked into the kitchen to look for another bag of microwaveable popcorn. She rummaged through the cupboards when she heard a soft thud from the ceiling followed by the distinct unmistakable giggles of her best friend.

She pictured the second story of the house in her head and knew the kitchen was right below her best friend's bedroom. She looked outside the kitchen window and spotted a black Ducati XDiavel motorcycle parked two houses down the road. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion and walked to the backyard to check it out clearly.

She'd been born in this small town and grew up on this street. She knew almost everyone who lived in the small town. And she knew, the elderly couple living in the house where the bike was parked in front of did not approve of motorcycles. So it was suspicious that such a contraption was parked on the curb in front of their house. She went to the front of the house and onto the street to get a better look. The bike was black, with decals of red-orange flame on the body. It was fairly familiar. She knew she'd seen it somewhere before.

She trudged back to her best friend's house and walked in through the back door that she had exited only minutes ago. She heard another suspicious thud and heard her best friend talking to someone. Last time she checked, they were the only people in the house as her best friend's mother was at work. She slowly walked up the steps, carefully avoiding the top step that she knew would creak loudly. She stealthily found her way through the small hallway leading to her best friend's door.

Someone was definitely inside that room with her best friend.

"Shhhh. Hotaru might hear you…" She heard her best friend say in between a fit of giggles.

She waited for a response but when there was none, she pressed her ear against the pink door, pulling back in shock almost immediately when she heard what was going on inside. When the sounds escalated to a point where she didn't even need to press her ear to the door, she made up her mind and decided to barge in.

She carefully turned the knob on the door and was relieved to find it unlocked. She let out a deep breath for composure and counted to three before pushing the door wide open. The sight that greeted her from within made her jaw drop even if she knew by the sounds she'd heard about what was going on. (And trust me when I say, Hotaru dropping her jaw is not something you'd catch her do often.)

It took her mind a second to process what she saw. Her best friend was lying on her bed with her shirt unbuttoned halfway, her brassiere exposed for the world to see, her skirt partly hiked up her leg, and her hair disheveled. And lying on top of her was a shirtless boy who abruptly jumped off her when he heard the scream coming from Hotaru who just burst through the door.

"MIKAN SAKURA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"

 **END OF CHAPTER 1**

* * *

 **So I'm going for the rom-com-drama-ish genre that I seem to be good at. XD**

 **Italicized lines are quotes from the movie "The Huntsman: Winter's War" (The fact that I announced this serves as my disclaimer that those lines are not mine, and never will be)**

 **Also as you all know, Gakuen Alice characters are not mine. I merely own the plot of this humble story.**

 **Let me know what you think ;)**

* * *

 **Story cycle:**

 **Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Philophobia**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


	2. Chapter 2: CRASH

**So since I have nothing to do on a weekend, I decided to get my progress going on this RukaRu fic.. XD**

' **The Scam' has been updated. You guys might wanna check it out and review, ne?**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

* * *

 _Previously:_

 _It took her mind a second to process what she saw. Her best friend was lying on her bed with her shirt unbuttoned halfway, her brassiere exposed for the world to see, her skirt partly hiked up her leg, and her hair disheveled. And lying on top of her was a shirtless boy who abruptly jumped off her when he heard the scream coming from Hotaru who just burst through the door._

 _"MIKAN SAKURA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: CRASH**

"Hotaru, this is Natsume…." Mikan started to introduce them as she fixed her appearance while the tall, lanky, yet well-muscled young boy looked unfazed.

"Hyuuga." Hotaru narrowed her eyes at the crimson eyed, half naked boy in her best friend's bedroom.

"I'm surprised you know my name, good going Imai." Natsume drawled lazily.

"Who wouldn't when you couldn't even top my GPA if your life depended on it. What are you doing here Hyuuga?" She retorted.

"Well, I was supposed to make out with this gorgeous best friend of yours but seeing as you've made an appearance, I don't suppose it's because you want a threesome now, does it?" He said as he put on his shirt.

"So you do have a brain. Scram before I call Mikan's mom." She rolled her eyes as he took his time with his clothes before grabbing his helmet which was on Mikan's nightstand.

He gingerly walked up to Mikan, knowing Hotaru was still watching and gingerly kissed Mikan full on the mouth to which the brunette responded to with fervor. By then, Hotaru had had enough and had to clear her throat loudly while impatiently tapping her foot on the hardwood floor which gained a glare from Natsume and made Mikan blush beet red. She followed the now fully dressed pair downstairs and outside to where Natsume's bike was parked.

Mikan was standing next to him as he straddled the bike and once again kissed Mikan on the mouth before putting on his helmet.

"I'll see you later.." He bid the blushing brunette goodbye and nodded in Hotaru's direction to which the latter just ignored.

He revved up his motorcycle, causing the elderly couple in the house he was parked in front of to peer outside through their curtained windows with a look of disdain. He honked once, before taking off in top speed down the street and around the corner, disappearing from both girls' sights.

Hotaru glanced defeatedly at her best friend who looked like she had her head high up in the clouds. She knew Mikan had been seeing someone the past couple of weeks, but she didn't know it had been Natsume Hyuuga. He had the second highest GPA in their senior year, after hers. He was in a different class than Hotaru and Mikan, and was notorious for being insanely smart despite lack of attendance in classes. Which was why he was never able to get top grades.

"Natsume Hyuuga is the boy you're dating?" She knew she'd have to start the conversation as Mikan was still daydreaming when they got back to her house.

"Yes. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. But, what do you think of him?" Mikan looked at her with eyes wide with expectation.

"I don't like him." She said honestly.

"I know. But could you please, please, please, be nice to him? For me?" Mikan started giving her the puppy dog eyes that she used whenever she wanted to ask for a favor. Not that it would work on her.

"My being harsh on him is more with the fact that you've only been seeing this guy, what, two weeks? And now I catch you in bed with him. If I hadn't walked in at that moment…"

"Hotaru, stop it! You sound like my mother!" Mikan giggled.

"My point being, baka..." She gave the brunette a glare before continuing. "… is that, aren't you going a bit too fast with him?"

"Does it matter? I'm in love." Mikan said dreamily which warranted another rolling of eyes from Hotaru.

"Are you going to get all fluffy just because Hyuuga wants to do "it" with you? You can't just give in to the first boy who calls you gorgeous and asks for your number. Look at your mother, she's fine without a man in her life. My mother got heartbroken after my father divorced her because he "fell in love" with someone half his age. So you can't tell me you're already in love with Natsume Hyuuga this soon." She made the quotes gesture with her fingers as she looked at the brunette still daydreaming in front of her.

"Hotaru, I know it's hard for you to understand. And I'm sorry about your parents' divorce. But this is different. Natsume and I are in love." Mikan settled back on the couch next to Hotaru as she unpaused the movie. But pretty soon it was forgotten as they continued talking about the situation.

"Can't you just, you know? Date him, make out with him, but without the love part? You don't need to love him to make out with him. You're setting yourself up for this monumental heartbreak the moment he gets what he wants and dumps you. Then you'll end up like that girl from freshman year and I will have to clean up after your tissues and Ben & Jerry's pints. Do you really need to fall in love?" Hotaru asked. She was pretty pissed off that despite her warnings to Mikan, she went and fell in love anyways.

"Everyone wants to find that special person and fall in love, Hotaru." Mikan gave her a knowing smile.

"Not everyone." Hotaru muttered under her breath.

* * *

The girls all gathered at the quad after classes, Friday. School just got out. It was the first week of senior year at school. Hotaru was with Mikan and their classmates, Anna Umenomiya, Nonoko Ogasawara, and Sumire Shouda.

"So Mikan, I heard you and Natsume Hyuuga are an item." Sumire said with a Cheshire Cat-like smile.

"Where do you get your news?" Mikan asked amusedly.

"Oh come on, Mikan. We all saw him ogling you during the mixed P.E. class at the gym." Sumire retorted much to the amusement of the rest of the girls (except Hotaru). They burst into a fit of giggles as Mikan recounted how far they got before Hotaru interrupted them last week.

"Well, don't look now, but here he comes." Anna said as she gestured to the said topic of conversation making his way towards where the girls were gathered.

"Hello ladies." Natsume said as he stopped behind where Mikan was sitting. "Mind if I borrow Mikan for a bit?"

"Yes we do mind. She's not a thing you can borrow, she's a person." Hotaru said glaring at him. The rest of the girls shushed her and nodded their approval as Mikan stood up and faced Natsume to embrace him, earning hoots and catcalls from the other students hanging out at the quad.

"Let's leave the lovebirds alone and get some grub." Sumire said, watching as Mikan hopped onto Natsume's motorcycle after him. They stood up and brushed the grass of the back of their pants and skirts before heading to their favorite after school hangout. Alice Diner and Café.

They sat at their regular booth and they elected Hotaru to get their drinks since she wasn't inclined to talk about Mikan and Natsume. She went to the cashier to order and was heading back with a tray full of food and drinks when the door to the diner opened. She barely had enough time to swerve away as someone came in, walking backwards, talking to whoever was behind him. All she could see was blonde hair, before he crashed into her causing her to lose her footing, the tray's contents spilling and soaking into her shirt.

"OH MY GOD!" Sumire's shriek made the whole diner freeze.

"I am so sorry miss." She looked up to see a pair of piercing blue eyes looking down on her.

"Hotaru are you okay?" The blue eyes disappeared and were replaced with Mikan's honey gold orbs. She had pushed the offender out of the way and knelt down to help Hotaru sit up. Her front was a mess, with a mixture of soda, ketchup, and ice cream down her shirt.

She was walking in after the offender along with Natsume by her side. Apparently the blue eyed, blonde guy who crashed into her was talking to them. She stood up wobbily, making sure to avoid the spilt ice cream and soda that made the floor slippery, lest she fell to her feet again.

"I should've known you were involved with this." She muttered, glaring at Natsume who was standing near the blonde guy.

"He already apologized Imai. It was an accident." He defended his friend who looked at her guiltily.

"I'll pay for whatever food was ruined, as well as for the laundry expenses for your shirt." He offered.

"No thanks. I can afford it." She retorted before she left to go to the comfort room. Mikan and Sumire went in after her, bringing Hotaru's bag with her.

"That was rude, girl, the guy was basically offering to pay for our food. Not to mention he is super cute" Sumire whined.

"Having a jumble of ice cream, soda, and condiments shoved up on your shirt isn't my definition of cute, Shouda. Hand me my gym shirt." Sumire threw Hotaru's gym shirt at the top of the stall and Hotaru proceeded to change out of her soiled clothes.

"So Mikan, who's the cute guy?" She heard Sumire chatting Mikan and tuned out. She decided she'd had enough for one day and once she was done changing, stormed out of the comfort room and out of the diner before anyone could say a word.

* * *

She eventually learned his name when he made an appearance in school the next week. They were all gathered in their classroom, and homeroom was about to start in fifteen minutes. Nobody had dared to talk about what had happened at the diner the whole weekend, lest they be at the mercy of Hotaru's ire. Hotaru was known to be quite scary when mad. Mikan tried once, when the girls went over to Hotaru's to take a dip at their pool Saturday afternoon, but was met with the cold shoulder that they all decided to keep their mouths shut after and talk about something else.

Mikan was sitting with the rest of the girls when Natsume waltzed in to their classroom.

"Hey baby.." Natsume said with a smirk as Mikan squealed and launched herself out of her seat and into his arms.

Hotaru couldn't help but roll her eyes at how excitable her best friend could get. Every waking hour in between classes, she would have to endure having to watch Natsume and Mikan get all lovey-dovey and it was making her irritable. When the final bell rang, the homeroom teacher had to pry him away from Mikan and tell him to go back to his own classroom before announcing that they had a new student.

New students were rare in this town so everyone's interest was definitely piqued. And of course, who could it be but the blonde, blue-eyed boy who had caused the whole fiasco last Friday. Most of the girls seemed to swoon at his prince charming looks and the boys all tried to size him up discreetly, to see how much of a competition he was to them. Hotaru however, showed no change in emotion, just like she always was, and continued to browse through her NanoEngineering book. It was only when someone cleared their throat thus calling her attention that she looked up to find that the blonde guy had walked up and was standing in the aisle of her row of seats.

"Yes?" She raised her brow at him.

"Imai-san, right?" He asked with a soft smile.

"And you are?" He looked taken aback that she had not been paying attention when he introduced himself but quickly recovered.

"Ruka Nogi." He held out a hand as if to shake but she only took a look at it before speaking again.

"And you are talking to me because?" He stood there awkwardly with his hand outstretched before he put it back to his side and replied.

"The homeroom teacher told me I could sit next to you." Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath, waiting for her to respond.

"Then sit, he didn't tell you to talk to me." She said coldly.

"Well, he did say that you were to be my partner so I hope you'll take care of me. And I'm sorry about what happened last Friday at the diner. You left so suddenly, I didn't have the chance to apologize and introduce myself properly." He bowed before taking the seat next to her.

"Whatever Nogi." She said as the bell rang signifying the start of first period.

"I hope we can become friends." He said as he took out his notebook to start taking notes as the teacher came in.

"Don't count on it." She muttered under her breath as she pushed her seat a little further away from his and continued to ignore him for the rest of the day.

 **END OF CHAPTER 2**

* * *

 **So Ruka makes an appearance. Will he be able to win her over?**

 **Stay tuned to find out.**

* * *

 **KawaiiGirl1215 –** Thank you! And it takes a lot of work. LoL. In between work, real life and fanfiction, I got my hands full, hence my updates are in a cycle and intermittent/irregular. And yeah, I hope Ruka doesn't break her heart, if he gets a chance to her heart , that is.. haha

 **newroz –** thankies! And how are you?

 **lychiis –** Never heard of Perfect Chemistry so I guess I'll have to google that. Is it nice? Well, he is sorta a bad boy but this story will focus more on RukaRu. XD

 **Derp1Derp2 –** Embarrassing indeed! Haha. But Hotaru's her bff so she will judge. Hahaha. And yeah it was Natsume ;)

 **YoNaMe –** Yeah, I figured I'd stick with what I knew best, Rom-com-drama that way I know how I can give it my all with this story. Hope you like it ;)

* * *

 **STORY CYCLE:**

 **Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Philophobia**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite, and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


	3. Chapter 3: Go With The Flow

**Okay, so another update. Sorry it took awhile minna-san! The previous weekend was so hectic, I needed to catch up on some zzzzz since I wasn't getting enough sleep during the past work week. Plus I dyed my hair purple-pink! Anyone who wants a peek, (except for newroz coz I know she's seen it on my FB teehee) lemme know so you guys can add me up too!**

 **I also binge watched 'Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso' and ended up a big blubbery puddle of tears at the end. If you're into feels, you might wanna check that anime out, if you haven't. Or re-watch it if you've already seen ;)**

 **And again, some characters are OOC, this is an AU fic after all.**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

* * *

 _Previously:_

" _I hope we can become friends." He said as he took out his notebook to start taking notes as the teacher came in._

" _Don't count on it." She muttered under her breath as she pushed her seat a little further away from his and continued to ignore him for the rest of the day._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: GO WITH THE FLOW**

Ruka plopped his tray on the table where Natsume was sitting at in the cafeteria. It had been a few days since he started at his new high school. It was unfortunate for him, having to transfer during his senior year in high school but it was a hazard he had gotten used to with his mother's job. She was a sought after actress turned director with her good looks and award winning performances. And that had resulted in movie projects taking her all over the globe. When Ruka was younger, his mother had insisted he stay put and employed the services of different nanny agencies to take care of him along with his father. When he turned older, and his father passed away, he eventually decided to tag along with his mother. It meant moving from one place to another every other year or less, depending on his mother's projects but it had opened the world to his eyes.

When his mother announced their next destination, he had been excited. He had been to this town a few years before, during summer vacation and that was when he met Natsume. At the very least he didn't have to start completely over despite entering the high school scene here during their final year.

He inherited his good looks from his mother which more or less made him a chick magnet at his previous schools. He was both charming and honest about his situation, not wanting to deceive any of the girls he was interested in. And though the girls he had relationships with knew he wasn't staying for long, that didn't stop them from sticking with him. He'd had his share of broken hearts following his wake and had a sort of reputation for it. They mostly stayed in highly populated cities so being in a small town was both a blessing and a curse for the handsome, blonde, blue-eyed boy.

A blessing, since his mother had retired from acting and turned to directing, the townsfolk were not much exposed to her fame. And that was a refreshing change for Ruka. He was no longer standing underneath the shadow of his mother's name. And that meant people would not flock to him and pretend to be friends with him just to get an autograph or to meet his mom. It also meant he had a little more freedom and paparazzi would not be hounding him, well not yet anyway. He expected that once his mother's movie wrapped up and was shown, busloads of paparazzi would come and take the town by surprise. For now, he was happy with the peace he was experiencing. For once, he was just a regular high school boy. A curse, since gossip runs fast in small towns. He wasn't that free as he initially thought. That was proved by how despite they had moved inconspicuously in the middle of the night into their house, and his transfer was kept as low key as possible, they had tons of neighbors who showed up the next morning with baked goods and produce as a 'Welcome to the Neighborhood' gift, and majority of the school's population (both middle and high school) already knew his basic information.

It was why some of the middle school girls were ogling him since he arrived. Natsume rolled his eyes as he spied a giggling group of girls egging one of their own to approach their table. He watched with a smirk on his face as the girl tapped Ruka's shoulder and blushed furiously as his friend charmingly talked to the young girl who presented Ruka with her phone number hastily scribbled on a paper napkin.

"As expected." He said while munching on his grilled cheese sandwich.

"What?" Ruka asked him with an innocent look.

"Don't act like you don't get a kick out of stirring up the hormone riddled girls here in school, Ruka."

"Yeah, well. It's a pain sometimes, unlike some people I know, I'd rather be nice and charming rather than be rude and reject them outright." Ruka retorted and Natsume chuckled at his friend's accurate description of how he handled girls.

"I'm a taken man now. " Natsume glanced over to the line at the display counters at the front of the cafeteria where Mikan was standing in line with Hotaru.

"And how's that been going for you? I've never pegged you to be a one-woman man." Ruka raised a brow at his friend.

When they met during summer break in middle school, Natsume had been somewhat of a delinquent in school and a notorious heartbreaker. Which was why Ruka was somewhat surprised about Natsume's change when he was with Mikan.

"What can I say man, I'm in love. Mikan is the sunshine in my dark, drab world." Ruka watched as Natsume looked at his girlfriend and made a face at him.

"You sound like my father when he talked about mom." Ruka made another face before finally opening his own sandwich and taking a bite.

"What about you? Find someone you like yet that's not after your money or your inherited fame?" Natsume finally tore his eyes away from Mikan and now focused on his friend who was busy eating his own lunch.

"Well, there are a lot of pretty girls here but.. they seem to be all the same. I want something different this time. There's no challenge with a girl that's throwing herself at you. There's this one girl that's caught my eye though."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. But she doesn't seem to like me."

"Care to spill who the unlucky girl is?"

"Speaking of 'spill' Remember that girl I bumped into at that diner last week? The short haired, purple eyed…." Natsume interrupted before he could finish.

"Wait a minute…Are you telling me that you have a thing for Hotaru Imai?"

"Not a thing really. She interests me though. She's different but hostile towards me."

"Hostile is an understatement." Natsume stood up as he picked up his tray.

"What do you mean?" Ruka mimicked his actions, as they walked towards the bins at the side of the cafeteria.

"You're in the same class as her. You'll soon understand what I mean." Natsume said as he dumped the contents of his tray in the bin before putting the tray on the rack. The warning bell rang, signaling the students that lunch was about to come to an end.

* * *

Afternoon classes proceeded with full force on the students, being the start of the year, the teachers were unrelentless, assigning tons of homework especially to the seniors. A chorus of groans could be heard all around the room as the history teacher, Serena Yamada, announced a number of projects and assignments for the incoming term. One of them was a partner project and their assigned seatmates were going to be their partner. Ruka smiled as he took down the specifics for the assignments and glanced at his seatmate and project partner. She was busy writing on her own notebook, and had paid no attention to him whatsoever. He wondered about her. She only talked to a few people in the class, mostly Natsume's girlfriend, Mikan, and a few other girls in class. The final bell for the day sounded as the teacher wrapped up the lesson, along with the sighs of relief from the rest of the class.

He watched as Hotaru methodically placed her books and stuff in her book bag and stand up. He took his time, knowing she had to get past him to get out of the row of seats. She tapped her foot impatiently but said nothing, her expression clearly showing irritation at his slow actions. He looked up at her and gave her a charming smile, one that had taken him out of trouble for other things before, only to receive a scowl in response.

"In a hurry, Imai-san?" He asked her.

"Yes. I would appreciate it if you could hurry up since I have somewhere to be." She said, looking at her small yet elegant gold wristwatch in the process.

"Well, I was wondering when you would like to talk about the project for Yamada-sensei's class." He said, staying firmly put, and in effect, leaving her stuck standing in between his and her seat.

"Nogi, can't this wait? I'm going to be late."

"Well, give me a time and place so we can discuss the project. I can treat you to snacks afterwards or during." By now, half of the class was gaping at them and listening to the exchange.

"Nogi, the project isn't due until three months from now. We have plenty of time to discuss this at another time. Now if you will excuse me, I really have to go." He let her pass, not wanting to push his luck.

He watched as she briskly walked out of the room before picking up his backpack and heading out. He could hear the murmurs of the classmates he left behind and paid them no mind.

" _That new guy sure is brave for asking Imai out."_

" _Does he have like a crush on her or something? She's sort of unfriendly and plain looking."_

" _She's no match for a good looking guy like him."_

" _What does he see in her? If he'd been my partner I'd have said yes in a heartbeat. Imai is smart but she ain't that smart."_

He felt a nudge on his shoulder and turned his head to see Mikan walking alongside him.

"Ignore them. They're just jealous since Hotaru is at the top of the whole senior class. I think it's nice that you're trying to get to know her unlike them. " She said with a smile as they walked towards Natsume's classroom. He could now see why his friend liked her so much. She was both easy on the eyes and easy to talk to. She brought about a positive vibe to the people around her.

"There's my favorite girl." Natsume greeted as he walked out of his classroom.

"I'd better be your only girl!" Mikan said as he kissed her fully on the mouth.

"Of course babe." It was then that Natsume noticed Ruka walking next to Mikan. Natsume nodded at Ruka in acknowledgement as he put his arm around Mikan's shoulder and brought her close to him as they walked.

"So what do you want to do today? Wanna go to the diner for snacks?" They walked out together as they headed towards Natsume's motorcycle.

"I was thinking we could visit Hotaru. She's working at the newly opened Snackbar Arcade downtown. Let's take Ruka with us!" Mikan said, winking at Ruka.

"Hmmmm. Cool. Ruka's brought his car so he can follow us there." Natsume said, giving Mikan a knowing smile.

That didn't really give Ruka much of a choice, so he decided it was best to go with the flow rather than blow his chance at trying to get to know Hotaru Imai. He was grateful at how his friends seem to support his seemingly impossible feat ahead.

* * *

Hotaru reached the arcade with five minutes to spare. She was in her first week, working after school and on Saturdays at the Snackbar Arcade. She didn't really need to work since her mother could provide, but she didn't want to depend entirely on her mother. Especially since she was planning on taking NanoEngineering as her major field when she applied for college and her projects and presentations for her video essays would cost a lot. She cringed as she put on her assigned uniform. She was assigned to work at the snackbar and assist the customers inquiries on the arcade games.

Her uniform consisted of a black tank top that had the name of the aptly named 'Snackbar Arcade' printed on the front across her chest. She didn't have much say on the uniform as it was imposed by the manager. She didn't have much to choose from for part time jobs either in the small town. She was lucky enough to have gotten this job and she didn't have much experience as a babysitter even if she could earn a lot from it. There weren't restrictions for her bottom half so she paired it with blue jeans whilst the other girls that she worked with usually wore short jean shorts much to the glee of the mostly male population that visited the new arcade. She laced up the standard issue roller blades (as they were supposed to skate to deliver orders and reach the arcade without having to run) and promptly began her shift.

It was a slow afternoon, it being in the middle of the week and in between some of the regulars (yes, within a week of opening, they already had regulars) who were more focused on the arcade games and preferred to be left alone, there was not much for Hotaru to do. Since she had nothing to do, she sat on one of the stools at the counter and opened her textbook to start her essay assignment for her literature class. She was roughly two hundred words in when she heard familiar voices coming her way.

"Well, well, well, it's not everyday we see Hotaru Imai showing her flesh." Her death glare came into contact with Natsume who was smirking and Mikan who was smacking him on the shoulder for his remark.

She was about to retort when she spied blonde hair behind the couple much to her dismay.

"What are you all doing here?" Her death glare was then directed to Mikan who was the only person who knew she was working part time at the arcade.

"We just wanted to get some snacks and I heard the food here is delicious!" Mikan said as she slid into one of the booths in Hotaru's section.

"Heard from who? Nobody from the school has been here yet." Hotaru deadpanned, calling out Mikan for her white lie.

"Lighten up Imai. We're just here to try out the food and chat. I'm sure you don't have a problem with that?" He gave her a look and glanced towards the counter of the snackbar where the manager/cashier was. Hotaru followed his line of sight and inwardly cringed as she saw the manager looking at them, a bit happy that there were customers as it was indeed a slow day.

Natsume was never one to back down from Hotaru Imai. He was neither afraid nor intimidated by her. And knowing Ruka is interested in getting to know her, it gave him a chance to evaluate Hotaru at a closer range. Given she was Mikan's best friend, he had to get to know her and their history as rivals in school made it an even unpleasant task for the sake of his relationship with Mikan.

Hotaru sighed, knowing there wasn't much she could do in this situation. She shocked them all into silence as she put on an awkward smile.

"Welcome to the Snackbar Arcade. Our snackbar special is our Crazy Shakes. Choice of strawberry, vanilla, chocolate milkshake topped with a cake, brownie bar, or cookie of your choice among other special treats. We also have the chips platter, description is on the menu and squid calamari."

It took then a few seconds to take the scene all in. Hotaru, in a skin baring tank top on roller skates and with a slightly forced smile on her face. Then Mikan, unable to help herself, burst into a fit of giggles earning a glare from her best friend.

"What's so funny, baka?"

"I'm so sorry Hotaru. It's just…." Mikan's sentence broke off as she tried to stifle her laughter.

"Just what?" They could tell Hotaru was trying to reign in her annoyance.

"It's so refreshing to see you like this."

"Okay. Now that you've had your fun. Can I take your order?" Hotaru pulled out a pen and pad from the pocket of her apron and jotted down her friends' orders before skating away to the counter to the cook.

'This is not my day.' She thought to herself as she waited for the cook to finish whipping up the shakes and the snacks.

* * *

"You should talk to her." Mikan said as they waited for their snacks. She was seated in the booth next to Natsume with Ruka sitting across from them.

"And tell her what? She barely even looks at me." He looked towards the counter where Hotaru was standing with her back to them.

"Well, why not ask her again about the history project."

"I don't think my heart can take another rejection Sakura-san." He said lightly.

"Ruka's usually the one that rejects proposals babe, he's not used to girls who don't like him." Natsume teased.

"Well, there's always a first time for everything." Mikan laughed. "Besides, Hotaru's the kind of girl you really have to put an effort with to get to know. And contrary to any rumor you might hear…" She decided to be upfront with Ruka rather than to beat around the bush. "She's not lesbian nor is she a man hater…" He sighed in relief. At least that proved he still had a chance to try to get to know her.

…"yet." Mikan giggled as he saw Ruka swallow hard.

"Why is she like that?" Ruka asked. It was great that Hotaru's best friend was his friend's girlfriend. At least he could get a little insider information.

"Well, let's just say that she's not a firm believer in love and all things associated with it."

"Why?"

"Not really my story to tell. It's better to find out for yourself. At least consider yourself warned." Mikan closed the discussion as she spied Hotaru coming over with their food.

"Here are your orders. Enjoy."

A few other customers had entered the establishment so Hotaru had to leave them be. An hour or so had passed and soon, it was dusk. Being a school night, the snackbar was soon devoid of any customers and the manager decided to let Hotaru out early from her shift. She got changed into a sweater, turned in her skates, packed up her stuff and began walking out when she noticed Ruka on the sidewalk, leaning on his car. She decided to ignore him and tried to walk past but fate was against her as he called out her name.

"What do you want, Nogi?" She turned towards him, hands on her hip and eyebrow raised.

"Why are you avoiding me?" He asked.

"I am not avoiding you. I simply chose not to acknowledge your presence as it is none of my business that you are standing out here." She rolled her eyes.

"Aren't we friends?" He asked.

"Are we?" She threw the question back at him and he winced.

"Well I suppose if we are to start working together for that project we can at least start somewhere." He felt a chill run down his spine as she eyed him from head to foot.

"We can do that even if we're not friends." She deadpanned.

"Why don't you want me to be your friend?" He asked.

"I have enough friends." She said. She looked up as the streetlamps flickered on and a strong wind blew, making her shiver with the cold.

"Okay. So from what I saw, Mikan is your friend. So is Natsume and a few other girls from the class. I don't see you talking to any other people. What's the harm in adding one more? You can never have more than enough friends in one lifetime."

"One, Mikan is my best friend. Two, I only tolerate Natsume because Mikan likes him. Three, it's none of your business who I'm friends with and the way you're acting doesn't help your case." A few drops of rain began to fall, covering the streets in little tiny wet blobs.

She fumbled in her bookbag for her umbrella only to realize a few seconds later that she had not brought one when she left for school that morning.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." He gestured towards his car.

"No thank you." She replied before walking away briskly. It was futile to run at this point as the rain started pouring. She couldn't stand by and wait for it to stop since she didn't know how long the rain would be. The sky was dark and the clouds were heavy, it didn't seem like it would be a short rainshower.

Before she knew what was happening, she felt someone grab her arm and gently pulled her back.

"Get in the car Imai. You're gonna get soaked in this weather." She looked straight into the deep blue eyes and she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer. So instead of struggling she did as she was told. To those who knew her far longer than Ruka did, it would have come as a complete shock to see her submit to him like she did. But Ruka didn't know that. He only felt relief that she followed him back to his car, shielding her body from the rain with her hands.

He unlocked the passenger door to his blue 2014 Chevy Camaro and gestured for her to get inside which she did so reluctantly. The rain started to fall harder and by the time Ruka got to the driver's side of the car, he was already soaking wet. He fired up his engine and began to drive. Hotaru remained still and silent beside him, her eyes focused on the blurring scenery outside the window.

"Imai-san." She turned her head towards the blonde boy driving beside her.

"What is it Nogi?" She responded in a barely audible voice.

"Where do you live?"

"Why do you wanna know?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at him in suspicion.

"Well, unless you want to come to my place, I think it's in your best interest to tell me your address." She mentally facepalmed herself. Of course he wasn't asking where she lived so he could stalk her. She wasn't usually this absent minded. She blushed slightly from the embarrassment, thankful the interior of the car was dark so he wouldn't see.

"Take a right at the next intersection and follow Main Street till you get to Alice Grove. I'll tell you when to stop." She said and he nodded, taking his eyes back on the road.

She took it as a chance to observe him closely. She felt him shiver from the cold and it was only then when she noticed his shirt was soaked through.

"Don't you have a change of clothes? You'll get pneumonia with that soaked shirt. Plus your AC is turned up so high in here." She watched him fiddle with the dial to turn down the AC in the car and at the same time, he turned the radio on. He searched for a station and when he finally found one he liked, he flipped the switch for the hazard lights and pulled over to the side of the road on Main Street.

She flinched as she saw his hands reach the hem of his shirt and pull it abruptly over his head.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She asked in outrage, covering her eyes with her hands.

She heard shuffling beside her and when she peeked, he was reaching over to the backseat for a duffel bag she had failed to notice. He rummaged inside the bag for a clean shirt and put it on.

"Since you were so concerned that I'd get pneumonia, I decided to change my shirt." He said, smiling at her cheekily.

She could feel her heart pounding and the heat creep up her neck. Never had she felt so unnerved by interacting with a boy her own age. Most of them were jerks, mostly composed of boys that were immature and unworthy of her attention. Their actions didn't faze her, and though she had dated a couple of boys her own age, they mostly didn't work out. But this time, this new boy, somehow had this certain effect on her.

"It was a fact following an observation. I only pointed it out since you're driving me home and if anything happened to you while I'm here, I don't want to be held liable." She reasoned out and he chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"You look cute when you say things like that. You pretend to be unconcerned but your actions state otherwise."

"Whatever." She said, turning her attention back to the window as he flipped the hazard lights off and started to drive again.

After giving him directions, they soon reached her house. She was surprised to see her brother's car in the driveway. And as soon as the car rolled to a stop and Ruka stepped out to open the passenger side door, she saw her mother peek from the window and run out with two umbrellas.

"Hotaru, thank Goodness. You forgot your umbrella this morning." Her mom greeted her, handing out the open umbrella to shield her from the onslaught of rain.

"I know mom." She uttered monotonously. "Thanks for the ride, Nogi."

"HOTARU IMAI! Where are your manners?" Her mother scolded her as Ruka stood out in the rain to say goodbye to her. Hotaru rolled her eyes and bowed to Ruka, thanking him once again for the ride.

"Don't mind my daughter uhm…"

"I'm Ruka Nogi, Imai-sama. I'm Imai-san's new classmate. My mother and I just moved here. " He bowed low and was soon ushered by her mother inside the house.

"It's still raining hard, why don't you have a cup of tea first? It's the least I could do to thank you for driving my daughter home." He could feel Hotaru's glare from behind him but didn't want to disrespect her mother.

"Well, if Imai-san doesn't mind…"

"Of course not. Right Hotaru?" Her mom prodded her and she answered with her standard 'Whatever'.

He locked the door to his car and pretty soon was sitting in the Imai household's living room with a warm cup of tea. Hotaru's mother was a kind and chatty woman. Hotaru had gone up to her room to change and he turned as he heard footsteps from the stairs. Instead of seeing Hotaru, his eyes met an older male version of Hotaru.

"Ahh, Subaru, there you are. Have you seen your sister?" Ruka took a big gulp of tea as he felt Hotaru's brother glare at him.

"I believe she just got out of the shower and is changing. Who is this? Is this her boyfriend?" His purple eyes seemed to be piercing holes straight through Ruka.

"He's just my classmate." Hotaru reappeared at the foot of the stairs. Her hair was slightly damp from her shower and she was wearing jean shorts and a long sleeved shirt.

"And why is he here?" Her brother was still staring at Ruka intently while pouring himself a cup of tea. He could now understand what Natsume said about Hotaru being hostile. Apparently it runs in the family, and he felt that they may have inherited that from their father seeing as their mother was definitely not hostile.

"SUBARU! Don't be rude. He drove your sister home since it was raining and she forgot her umbrella." Mrs. Imai scolded her first born.

"I see." He could see that their mother's statement had no alleviating effect on whatever impression Hotaru's brother had of him.

Hotaru sat at the only vacant seat available which was next to Ruka. He could see that her brother wasn't happy about that. She poured her own cup of tea, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary and surprised Ruka by addressing him directly.

"Since you're here, then let's talk about our project." He was about to agree when her brother interrupted.

"That can wait. I'm not just here for a social visit. I have news about dad." Ruka felt like it was his queue to leave.

"Thank you for the tea, Imai-sama, but I see the rain has stopped and I already overstayed my welcome. I'll be going now." Mrs. Imai walked him to the door and thanked him again for bringing Hotaru home.

The rain had lightened somewhat and he sat in his car, idling for a few minutes while he searched for his favorite playlist on his phone. He was about to drive off when he heard tapping from the windows. He rolled down the passenger side window to see Hotaru with umbrella in hand.

"Open the door, Nogi." Her tone was that of an order and not a request. He was compelled to ask why but thought better of it. He lifted the lock off the passenger door through the controls on his side and she promptly got in and buckled her seatbelt. He sat there, staring at her, slightly dumbfounded.

"What are you waiting for Nogi? DRIVE!" Her voice was still calm but he could sense the urgency in her words.

He revved the engine before speeding off, just barely catching a glimpse of her mother and brother running out of the house after them. He wanted to ask but just looking at her tense expression, he was afraid that would push her away further. For the second time that day, he decided to just go with the flow and see where it takes him. One thing was for sure, getting to know Hotaru Imai bit by bit, no matter that she pushed him away and rejected him, his interest in her was reaching a record peak.

 **END OF CHAPTER 3**

* * *

 **Why did Hotaru get back into Ruka's car when he left?**

 **What news could her brother have brought?**

 **Stay tuned to find out!**

* * *

 **Yla –** I may have overstepped Natsume's OOCness in this fic. It is so OOC for him to be so showy to Mikan but it is a bit essential to the story so I hope it doesn't bother you that much. I'll try to tone it down a bit ;) And thank you 3

 **kuroneko-chan1 –** thank you! I hope you stay tuned!

 **Anilissa –** I think there may have been a misunderstanding on the term waltzed as I realize that now, you may have been imagining him prancing in to the classroom Narumi style (as you pointed out) I think the right term I could have used was 'barged' but I felt it was too strong. I could also have used 'strutted' but well, I just can't imagine Natsume strutting. Hahaha. But for the record Natsume wasn't twirling in to the classroom but simply walking without paying attention to the rest of the people in the room except for Mikan. ;) And yes, RukaRu's story is just starting though NatsuMikan will be an important part of this story still.

 **newroz –** I'm good. Busy at work but I still managed to get my hair done! LoL! How've you been?

 **Guest –** Well, I've seen RukaRu in the sidelines for most fics, mine mostly included. Haha. I figured it's time they get their turn in the spotlight. ;)

 **Derp1Derp2 –** Thank you Derp1Derp2! I hope you stay tuned! And yes, most stories in the fandom are with Natsume and Mikan and I just wanted to deviate from that a little, though they are still an integral part of this story ;)

 **Yoname –** Yeah that may take awhile. But expect some moments from here and there between them. ;)

 **ReneFurterar0 –** glad to see another person from the fandom shipping RukaRu. And I hope your cat is okay and has recovered from the shock! XD

* * *

 **Story cycle:**

 **Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Philophobia**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


	4. Chapter 4: Start of a Friendship

**Thank you for those who've had time to R &R 'The Scam' which was updated last week. XD **

**Here's another one for RukaRu! I have to say, I've been having a massive case of writer's block but good thing is I seemed to get through it this time.**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

* * *

 _Previously:_

" _What are you waiting for Nogi? DRIVE!" Her voice was still calm but he could sense the urgency in her words._

 _He revved the engine before speeding off, just barely catching a glimpse of her mother and brother running out of the house after them. He wanted to ask but just looking at her tense expression, he was afraid that would push her away further. For the second time that day, he decided to just go with the flow and see where it takes him. One thing was for sure, getting to know Hotaru Imai bit by bit, no matter that she pushed him away and rejected him, his interest in her was reaching a record peak._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: Start of a Friendship**

"So, where to?" He asked after half an hour of just driving around. His question seemed to bring her out of her funk. She sighed and looked at her phone.

 **37 missed calls – Okaa-san**

 **25 missed calls – Onii-chan**

 **Text message – Mikan Sakura – Hotaru, your mom's been calling my house for the past half hour. Where are you?**

"Might as well do the project." She muttered as she held the power button to shut the phone off.

"O-okay, but the library is already closed at this time and it's still raining. Where do we go?" He asked her once again.

"Your house." She said.

"M-my house?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"That's what I said. Clearly, we can't go back to my house since we just left there. And I can't go to Mikan's since my mom will want to check there first. So the only logical place to go to would be your house." She deadpanned.

"Are you sure?" He asked tentatively.

"Does the sun set in the west, Nogi? Of course I'm sure." She rolled her eyes, annoyed at how he seemed to be hesitating to the idea and relieved that he clearly wasn't the type to take advantage of a situation like this, unlike most guys she knew.

"Alright then." He drove uptown where he was living with his mother in the upper class suburb. They were renting the mansion he had once lived in years back.

Hotaru gazed at the structure before her. It was massive. Three stories with a long winding driveway that led to the gate. The front yard was vast, filled with foliage, and the back (which she would later be shown) was at a little more than an acre, with a labyrinth made of hedges and bushes, a greenhouse and an Olympic sized pool.

Ruka led her inside, and she was surprised at how silent the large residence was. The interior was decorated mainly with French artifacts and furniture. Given that Ruka's mother is French, it wasn't all that surprising. They were standing in the foyer and through the dim lights, she could make out a grand staircase a little bit further on the inside of the house.

"It's so quiet." She didn't realize she had murmured her thoughts out loud.

"Yeah, well, it's mainly just me and my mom and she works late. A maid comes in during the daytime and a pool service crew comes once a week. Other than that, it's usually just me." He said going past the staircase. He opened a door that led to a library. She almost didn't catch herself from showing her shock. The view of the library breathtaking. It was filled with floor to ceiling shelves that were packed with books. There was also a Steinway Grand Piano in the corner, next to a stained glass window, and a small couch and armchairs in the opposite corner.

Ruka watched as she walked towards the piano and ran her fingers across the surface.

"Do you play?"

"I do, although I am a bit rusty." She said.

"Why don't you play something while I whip us something to drink. We can get started with the project after we get warmed up." He offered, he could somehow sense that she wanted to play.

"You don't mind?" She asked.

"Of course not. Be my guest." He exited the library and headed to the kitchen on the other side of the house.

A few minutes later, he could hear the soft melody of the piano wafting through the rooms of the usually silent house.

* * *

She sat down in front of the piano, lifting the cover off the keys, and gliding her fingers lightly over them. She thought of the conversation she had with her mother and brother as she sat in their living room just less than an hour ago.

" _How is your father dear?" Hotaru's mother was calm, sipping from her cup of tea._

" _He's fine." Subaru said solemnly._

" _And how is Shizune?" Shizune was her brother's fiancée. They had met in pre-med and had been together since their freshman year in med school._

" _She's fine. She wanted to come today so we could tell you the news but.."_

" _Why? What's happening?" Hotaru was quick to detect the hint of hesitance in her brother's words._

" _We're getting married." She could feel a surge of anger course through her. Their parent's divorce was only finalized last week, and now here he was flaunting his engagement straight to their mother's face._

" _I can't believe you!" She'd stood up, glaring at her brother who refused to look her in the eye. She felt her mother's hand gently grip her arm. She couldn't help but glance at her mother, sitting beside her. There was a wistful, bitter smile on her face that even Subaru had noticed._

" _Hotaru, it's okay. I'm happy for you son. Shizune is a very beautiful and bright girl. Congratulations! Did you tell your father?"_

" _I did. He…" Subaru took a huge gulp before continuing on, almost wishing he didn't have to say it. "..he wants to make it a double wedding. He's proposed to Chisaki."As soon as the words left his mouth, Hotaru snapped._

" _THIS IS BULLSHIT! Why doesn't he have the balls to tell us in person? Why does he have to send you to do what he should be doing?! And why would you want to get married at a time like this? Just when mom gets divorced from dad? How can you be so insensitive nii-chan?"_

" _Hotaru, calm down. It's okay." Her mother held on to her arm firmly this time._

" _No Mom. It's not okay and it never will be okay. I'm sorry nii-chan but don't expect me to go to your wedding." She brushed away her mother's arm, grabbed her coat and ran towards the door, despite her mother and brother's attempt to call her back. She saw Ruka's car as soon as she opened the door and without another thought, she ran towards it._

 **(A/N Listen to Fritz Kreisler's 'Love's Sorrow' for better feels [DISCLAIMED, not mine, never will be])**

And now here she was in Ruka's house. Her fingers went on auto pilot and began to play a piece she'd known by heart since she was small. Her dainty fingers gracefully glided over the keys as the notes poured and filled the room with music. It had been awhile since she'd last played, since it was her father who insisted she learn to play the piano and paid for her lessons. The piano was a subtle reminder of the part of her childhood she wanted to forget. She hated her father. He ruined their lives by leaving them. It reinforced her loathing for love. She didn't care for it. She didn't want it. She didn't believe in it. And all her emotions surged through her and through the score she was playing on the piano.

She didn't notice Ruka who had slipped in quietly, bringing with him a tray with two cups of warm cocoa, to fend off the coldness brought about by the weather. As soon as he entered, he became entranced by her music. He was rooted to the spot, watching her as she became one with the piano. She was reaching a crescendo. He knew this piece, and had listened to it a number of times when his mother would bring him to recitals and concerts of the great masters and those who aspire to become like them. But this was the first time that he felt the music move him. Her emotions emanated with the music.

"Brava!" He said softly as she ended the piece. She jumped in her seat, one of the rare instances that she had been caught off guard.

"Th-thanks.." She said, feeling the heat of a blush creep up her neck.

"Kreisler, right?" He asked and she was faintly surprised that he knew of that piece but didn't bother to ask. With a mansion filled with so many cultural pieces and a piano to boot, she figured he was well off and well brought up.

"Yeah." She replaced the cover on the piano keys and sat next to him. He handed her the cup of cocoa which she gratefully accepted and they sat in silence, savoring the warmth of their drinks and lost in their own thoughts. They were both conscious of each other's presence, yet neither of them had the faintest idea on how to start a conversation given how Hotaru had established they were not 'friends'.

"Are you alright?" Ruka asked, and as she looked at him, she could see his concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine." She said curtly. She trusted he was one not to take advantage but she didn't trust him enough to divulge her personal dilemmas to yet.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. But I want you to know that I'm here for you. Even if you don't think of me as a friend just yet."

They were once again wrapped in a charged silence. She wasn't used to this kind of conversation. It wasn't as if people were begging to be friends with her. She was contented to have just a few close friends and had no interest in adding any if it meant a disruption to her circle.

"Why are you doing this Nogi?" She asked him, her head was beginning to ache with her overanalyzing everything and she decided it be best to be forward about it to him. He took a deep breath before answering.

"Well I know we haven't had a good start with that incident at the café…" She rolled her eyes as he reminded her of the day they met. ".. I guess I don't know why exactly. I find you interesting. Most girls I've met are usually throwing themselves at me, and trust me, I've met a lot of girls. You're the first one, aside from Sakura-san who hasn't done that. You seem to loathe me, for some unknown reason, and apart from trying to find out the reason why, I think we'd actually be really good friends in the future, if not more. And besides, your my project partner. We have to start somewhere." He said with a charming smile.

"You're certainly a bit full of yourself aren't you?" She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she glared at him.

"I figured you're the kind of girl who doesn't like to beat around the bush. Why would I go through the pretense of something apart from the truth if it won't help my case?" He responded.

"It's good that you have your facts straight. I hate liars." She said, sipping the last few drops of cocoa from her cup.

"See? That's something we have in common. I don't like liars either." He grinned at her and she just stared at him unbelievingly.

"You don't have to like me right away. I like you the way you are and I want to get to know you better. I'm not the type to listen to rumors and would rather hear what you have to say for yourself instead of what other people say about you." She blushed. Most guys wouldn't even bother talking to her. Aside from the select few that she genuinely was close to like Yuu Tobita the class rep, or guys she had no choice but to tolerate like Natsume Hyuuga, Ruka it seems wasn't budging on his position.

"Why?" She finally asked.

"Why what?"

"Why of all people would you like to be friends with someone like me?"

"Well, do I really need a reason to become friends with you?" He asked and for once she was at a loss for words.

There really isn't a formula or reason for friendship, she reasoned out. And so she slowly conceded, by way of silence. Neither confirming nor denying her agreement to his statement. One couldn't have too many friends right? And it was just friendship. She was just overthinking it, she thought to herself.

"So I have this idea for the project…" She decided to change the topic before it became uncomfortable for either or both of them. Ruka brought his laptop down from his room and as soon as he fired it up, he got a skype call. It was from Natsume. He hesitated, looking briefly at Hotaru and she scooted over to the far side of the small couch, out of view from the laptop's webcam.

Ruka pressed the answer button and soon Natsume's face appeared on the screen.

"Where's your phone?" The raven haired teen asked. Ruka patted his pockets, realizing it was in his uniform which was upstairs in his room.

"Gomen. I left it in my room. I'm in the study doing some research." Ruka grinned sheepishly. He could feel Hotaru watching him but refrained from looking at her as Natsume might notice.

"Mikan's been calling me every ten minutes for the past hour. Hotaru's gone missing and she was last seen with you in your car." Natsume was one of the other few people that Ruka knew would never mince words. True to his words, instead of lying, Ruka opted to remain silent. He valiantly tried to remain poker faced and Natsume seemed suspicious of his friend's behavior.

"She's with you, isn't she?" Again, Ruka remained poker faced and silent and Natsume just sighed.

"Imai, if you're listening, Mikan's worried about you. Your mom is at her house." He appeared to be forcing himself to say the words. And then he looked straight at Ruka. "Get her home safe." And without another word, he clicked off the Skype call.

"Well it looks like I should get going." Hotaru stood up from where she sat and stretched her arms.

"I'll drive you home." Ruka closed his laptop, leaving it on the coffee table. "Let me just grab my phone and keys." He ran up the grand staircase and into his room while Hotaru waited in the foyer. She looked at the paintings and portraits that hung on the walls of the foyer. Most of the paintings were sceneries from different places. She had to admit that they were pretty good. She also saw a portrait of Ruka with a woman who looked like him albeit older. Even she had to admit, they looked like a striking couple. She was engrossed with the portrait that she didn't notice that a car had parked in the driveway and only turned when she heard the creak of the front door.

Standing in front of her was the woman in the portrait and she was looking at Hotaru startled. They both stared at each other, before the woman spoke.

"Hello young one. Are you Ruka's girlfriend?" Hotaru blushed, somewhat taken aback at the bluntness of the question. Before she could answer, Ruka reappeared in the foyer.

"MOM! That's rude." He said somewhat in a joking manner as he moved towards the giggling woman and she embraced him in a big hug. He gave Hotaru an apologetic smile as he introduced them.

"Hotaru, this is my mother. Okaa-san, this is Hotaru Imai, my classmate and history project partner." Hotaru bowed and the woman smiled warmly at her. She couldn't shake off the feeling that the woman looked very familiar, she just couldn't place where she saw her before.

"Hello Hotaru-chan. You can call me Celestine. My apologies for being so blunt, my dear. It's just that Ruka rarely brings home any friends to meet his dear old mother, much more girlfriends. You're the first girl he's ever brought home so I just assumed… " The heat crept up on both Hotaru and Ruka's faces as the latter scolded his mother in a soft tone.

"Mother.. stop that." He said and his mother pouted. "I'm going to drive Hotaru home. We were just discussing our project here since the library was closed. And I thought you weren't coming home till midnight."

"Well, shooting was cancelled since the rain disrupted our outdoor shoot, and you know these indie actors are so stuffy sometimes. I decided to come home early. Have you two had dinner?" The woman shrugged off her coat, hanging it on the coat rack near the door.

"Not yet. I was planning to grab a hamburger on my way back. Want me to buy takeout instead?" Ruka took his coat and handed Hotaru her own

"Chinese food is fine. You know what I like." Hotaru just watched the exchange happening between mother and son. She now had a firsthand view of what life was like for Ruka Nogi as his mother handed him a couple of bills to buy their dinner.

"It was nice to meet you Hotaru-chan. Please come visit us again soon." Ruka's mother bade them goodbye as she went up to her room to freshen up. It was only when they were in the car that it clicked. She had heard rumors that a celebrity would be moving in to town. She then realized that they were all referring to Ruka's mom. Celestine Nogi. Award winning actress turned director. She had seen a couple of films that had Ruka's mom in it which was why she looked familiar. She wasn't what Hotaru expected in an award winning actress. She dressed modestly, and didn't think too highly of herself (in a good way) unlike most actors and actresses nowadays that seemed to expect royal treatment from the common people.

"I'm sorry about how my mom acted earlier." He said and she blushed once again to being referred to as Ruka's girlfriend.

"It must be tough to be the son of a well-known actress." She said , unable to think of anything else to say.

"Yeah, well. It certainly took some getting used to. And I've had my fair share of people cozying up to me just to be in the spotlight. Not that I get noticed very often. But in some of the busier places we've been to, like Tokyo or Los Angeles, it's been a struggle. Which is why I prefer to keep myself on the down low. Out of the spotlight and the tabloids. It's easier to live a normal life that way." He had his eyes on the road as he spoke.

"I didn't even realize it until we were in the car. She's nice though." Hotaru responded and he smiled as he glanced at her.

"Yeah, she does her best to spend time with me. She's always complaining I don't bring home any friends that much. She's only met Natsume and now you. The less people that know about her identity and status, the better." He said.

"I see. Where's your dad?" She asked.

"He passed away three years ago. I used to live with him while mom's job took her around the globe. But when he died, mom wouldn't let me live on my own. So she took me along wherever she was assigned. It would end up with me transferring schools even if it was in the middle of the year. Eventually she decided to stop acting and start producing/directing films so we get to stay in a different place for longer."

"I'm sorry about your dad."

"It's fine. He's in a better place now. How about you? Where's your dad?" As soon as he asked, he sensed the change in Hotaru's demeanor. She clenched her fist and looked outside the passenger seat window.

"I really don't want to talk about him." She responded almost in a whisper and he nodded.

"Oh. Sorry for asking, I didn't mean to pry. But if you need a sounding board, you can talk to me ayt?" She merely nodded and the rest of the ride continued in silence.

"We're getting close to your place. Should I drive you home? Natsume said your mom is at Sakura-san's house." He asked and she decided to go to Mikan's. That way if she got into an argument with her mom, she could stay there instead. He turned towards Mikan's house, passing by Hotaru's and parking at the sidewalk in front of Mikan's house. As soon as they got out of the car, Subaru came barging out the front door followed by Mikan.

The next thing Ruka knew, he was being pinned to the side of his car by Subaru.

"WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY SISTER?" Subaru had him by the collar which was making it difficult to breathe. Hotaru was quick to pull on Subaru but he had a firm grip on Ruka.

"I – I – didn—"

"Subaru-nii-chan! Please stop!" Mikan was screaming.

"STOP IT SUBARU! He didn't do anything to me! LET HIM GO!" When Subaru didn't let up Hotaru forcefully pulled him so he could let go of Ruka. He fell butt first into a puddle that had formed in the sidewalk due to the rain getting his pants wet.

"I said STOP! I got in his car and told him to drive. So don't blame my friend!" She pushed Subaru away and stood in between the two guys.

"YOU! How dare you walk out on us like that. How disrespectful and dishonorable of you!" Subaru then turned on her immediately.

"I meant what I said earlier. Don't expect me to attend much more be a part of that double wedding that you and dad will be having. I don't even think either of you know what love is seeing as you don't seem to understand what it is about. You clearly have no sensitivity towards how mom and I feel." Her words were broken from the deep breaths she had to take. She didn't realize that she was already crying. Her cheeks were wet and her vision was muddled by the tears in her eyes. She watched as Subaru stormed away from the Sakura household towards their house.

She wiped the tears away from her eyes and held out a hand for Ruka to help him up. He accepted it gratefully and stood, wincing more at the feeling of having wet pants rather than the slight pain he got when he fell down.

"Why don't you guys come in?" Mikan said behind them. She was dialing a number on her cell. "I'm calling Natsume so he can bring you a change of clothes."

They went inside the house and Natsume arrived ten minutes later, bringing Ruka a shirt and pants to change into. Ruka had called his mom and told her something came up, apologizing profusely that dinner would be late to which she'd responded that she didn't mind.

"I called your mom and she agreed that you should just stay over." Mikan said to a glum looking Hotaru who just nodded. They were now gathered in the living room, waiting for Ruka's clothes to dry.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this, Nogi." Hotaru said and surprisingly Ruka was smiling back at her.

"If that's what it takes to have you say that we're friends, then it's cool."

"When did I say that?" Hotaru was on the defensive now. She vaguely recalled her words during the heat of the moment with Subaru.

"Well, you did say it earlier, right Sakura-san?" He looked towards Mikan who was sitting in between them. She was like a deer caught in the headlights with Ruka looking expectantly at her confirmation and Hotaru glaring at her.

"Uhmm.. Well, you did say it Hotaru. You said, and I quote 'I got in his car and told him to drive. So don't blame my friend!' end quote." Mikan gestured with her fingers to emphasize that those were Hotaru's words and not hers.

"See? So that means we're friends now, right?" Ruka was beaming at Hotaru and she fought back the urge to roll her eyes. She thought about it, he was more than willing to take a beating from Subaru even if he didn't do anything wrong (good thing it didn't come to that though). He didn't pry when she told him she didn't want to talk about her father. He more or less fit the definition of a friend.

"Whatever makes you sleep better at night, Nogi." She said as Mikan's mom brought out Ruka's clothes.

"You can call me Ruka." He smiled at her and she shook her head. She didn't want to go that far just yet, seeing as how he insisted on her calling him his friend.

Natsume bid Mikan a chaste kiss goodbye on her cheek (since her mom was there) and Ruka stood up to leave after retrieving his clothes.

"I have to go, my mother is waiting for me to bring dinner home. Sakura-sama thank you so much for your hospitality." He said as he bowed in front of Mikan's mom.

"Mikan-chan, Hotaru, I'll see you guys tomorrow." He said with a smile and a wave before heading off to his car.

"Natsume could take a few lessons from that guy, Mikan. He's very nice and polite." Mikan rolled her eyes at her mom's comment. Ruka was nice and all but he wasn't really Mikan's type. Hotaru stood silent beside them. She realized she hadn't properly thanked Ruka for earlier today when she got caught in the rain and for following her directions (no questions asked) when she ran out from her house after. She called out to him as he was getting in his car.

"RUKA!" His name felt and sounded weird coming from her own lips. He popped his head out of the window.

"Arigatou." She turned her back to him, pretending to go inside the house without waiting for his reply, to hide her embarrassment at the situation. She could feel Mikan giggling next to her and elbowed her in the ribs.

She didn't see the huge smile that lit up Ruka's face when he heard her call her name. He felt that regardless of the drama that ensued, today was a good day because Hotaru Imai finally called him her friend.

 **END OF CHAPTER 4**

* * *

 **So, I don't really know Ruka's mom's name so I made one up. If anyone knows what it is exactly although it isn't specified in the wiki nor the manga, please hit me up via review or PM so I can correct it. I just like Celestine so.. XD**

* * *

 **N Risa –** Well, you got it right, not only is the father marrying the half his age bimbo (whom I decided to name Chisaki) but he wants to have a double wedding with Subaru who's marrying Shizune! What a guy! And it's alright about the log in thing,. As long as you let me know it's you then I can identify who's reviewing ;) I miss you. You haven't reviewed my 2 part update on The Scam yet which I know you always look forward to. Hope you're okay wherever you are!

 **KawaiiGirl1215 –** Well, I love this pairing even if that wasn't really in the manga. I just feel like they could have gone this route, if only they continued the manga to find Hotaru. (Highly unlikely since the epilogue pictures sorta have that locked down) But hey, that's where ff comes in. ;) and yes I've heard of that song! Thank you for the review!

 **Derp1Derp2 –** Well it looks like for the most part you have given me the inspiration for this chapter. ;) As for the devilish smile, we'll save that for a later chapter shall we? Hahaha

 **Anilissa –** He became "worst dad of the year" after deciding to marry the girl half his age just weeks after divorcing Hotaru's mom. And Natsume is cute, isn't he? LoL.

 **Guest –** Thank you! Please let me know who you are so I can address your review properly next time! I hope I live up to your expectation in the story!

* * *

 **Story cycle:**

 **Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Philophobia**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


	5. Chapter 5: Rejection in a Good Way

**So I adopted a story from Katherine Kalissa Amara called Probability.. it should be up somewhere on the site. LoL.**

 **And I know work isn't much of an excuse but Imma say sorry anyway since I haven't updated in quite some time. Adulting is hard. Le sigh.**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

* * *

 _Previously:_

" _RUKA!" His name felt and sounded weird coming from her own lips. He popped his head out of the window._

" _Arigatou." She turned her back to him, pretending to go inside the house without waiting for his reply, to hide her embarrassment at the situation. She could feel Mikan giggling next to her and elbowed her in the ribs._

 _She didn't see the huge smile that lit up Ruka's face when he heard her call her name. He felt that regardless of the drama that ensued, today was a good day because Hotaru Imai finally called him her friend._

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: REJECTION IN A GOOD WAY**

They sort of became a foursome since that day. Mikan with Natsume was a given but the buzz of the school was when Ruka was most often found the following weeks hanging around Hotaru despite the offers from his increasing number of fan girls.

Hotaru had made up with her older brother before he left again for med school. After much consideration when she spent the night at Mikan's she knew she shouldn't take her anger about her parents' divorce on Subaru. He of course, had the right to be happy with Shizune. But she stood unwavering on her stance to not attend the double wedding. She was still angry at her father for leaving them the way he did and felt no qualms of being absent on account of her mother's sake.

Her mother tried to urge her to reconsider but she was hearing none of it. She'd said her piece and wanted to be done with it. Subaru understood and agreed to talk to Shizune who wanted her to be the maid of honor.

"As much as I would be honored to, nii-chan, I'm afraid you already know that I'm going to refuse." She'd said unfeelingly as he stood beside his car. He ruffled her hair and gave her a resigned look.

"Tell me if you change your mind. Though I know you probably won't. See you soon Hotaru." She gave him a goodbye hug before watching him get into his car and pull out of the driveway. He was halfway there when he gestured for her to approach the driver's side window.

"What?" She said, giving him an annoyed look as he rolled down the window to talk to her. She was late for her shift at the arcade.

"Apologize to your boyfriend for me." He said with a wink and was met with a fist on top of his head.

"Idiot. I told you he's not my boyfriend." She rolled her eyes as he rubbed the spot she'd hit. It didn't hurt… much.

"Yeah, well I think he likes you. He's been hanging around you lately." He pointed to the car parking behind his idling one as he rolled up the window with his other hand. She was distracted by what he was pointing at and he figured he could make a hasty escape. He honked to let her know he would be going and she stood at the sidewalk, watching as his car left and Ruka came closer.

"What are you doing here Nogi?" She asked as he locked his car and followed her inside her house.

"Well, I just wanted to see if you wanted to do our physics homework together." He responded with a sheepish grin.

"I have a shift at the Arcade. So looks like you're doing your homework alone." She was glad for having an excuse not to be with him this afternoon. It's not like she didn't like him, she did. But she just felt uneasy whenever he was with her. He was always so nice to her, and she wasn't used to boys being like that. Plus, she'd discovered his mischievous side when she'd caught him skipping classes with Natsume one time.

"But you're the best at physics and I need your help!" He exclaimed in an overly exaggerated dramatic tone.

"If you hadn't been too busy skipping classes with Hyuuga, you wouldn't need my help." She retorted. She was about to put on her coat when the phone rang. She debated on answering it and figured to let the answering machine pick it up. Wrong move on her part as the caller's message played on the machine after the beep.

"Hotaru? Are you home? This is Mashiro from the arcade. Hikari made a mistake on the schedules and we're overstaffed so you don't have to come in today. Sorry for the trouble. Looks like I wasn't able to catch you. I'll send you a text in case you've already left."

"You were saying?" She rolled her eyes at the blonde teenage boy standing in front of her with a triumphant grin.

"Why do you always want to hang out with me? Don't you have other friends?" She asked as she put a hand on her hip and raised her brow.

"I already told you why." He sat down on the sofa without waiting for an invitation and splayed out his books on the coffee table. She wandered into the kitchen to get them drinks. She was feeling conflicted. In a short span of time, Ruka had become a constant presence in her life. She wasn't so sure if that was a good thing. In the past few weeks, new emotions made themselves known to her, and she was walking past her own comfort zone much to her own dismay.

"You're only using me since you need my help with physics and you get free food when you're here. If it's something else, please refresh my memory because I certainly don't recall." Hotaru said as she returned and slumped on to the armchair to his left, tossing him a cold soda can from the fridge. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. Truth be told, she'd already finished her homework, as expected from their class' top student so she only had to sit there and watch him struggle with his own.

"I am personally offended that you don't listen to me enough to be sensitive to my feelings." She almost spit out her soda as she took in his pouty look.

"You're such a wuss, Nogi." She teased him and he pouted even more. She couldn't deny that she liked the way he made her laugh. She liked how he was so confident about himself yet he wasn't arrogant like Natsume was. She liked how she could talk to him so easily.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Ruka. R-U-K-A."

"I can call you whatever I want to. Bunny Boy." He paled at the reference. She just had to bring it up. He recalled how she had come to call him that without any hint of embarrassment or guilt.

* * *

 _She'd showed up at his house unannounced a couple of weeks ago just a few days after the episode with her brother that had him pinned up against his car. His mother was home and had let her in, telling her he was in his room. He, on the other hand had no clue of his incoming visitor and was perfectly distracted with his current companion._

 _She burst into his room without knocking, startling him and his companion._

" _HOTARU! What are you doing here?" He asked as she walked inside his room._

" _I think the more important question is, what are you doing?" She stifled a laugh that escaped her lips as she watched him fumble with what he was holding in one hand and trying to get a blanket to cover himself._

 _He was clad only in a cotton shirt and boxers and holding a fluffy white rabbit. She laughed again as he got his legs entangled on the blanket and fell from his bed valiantly clutching the squirming bunny in his chest and falling back first to prevent it from getting hurt. He watched in awe as she walked towards him and plucked the white rabbit from his arms, giving him the freedom to untangle his body from the sheets. He scurried to his closet to get a pair of pants and dressed hurriedly._

 _When he returned, he found her sitting on his bed, the white fluffy bunny cradled in her hands. Her dainty hands were softly caressing the sleeping hare. He couldn't quite help but stare. He was mesmerized. Until she caught him doing so. She put the bunny down gently on his bed and stood up._

" _I didn't know you had a pet."_

" _Well now you do. His name is Usagi-chan."_

" _Fitting for a rabbit, I must say. Well, Bunny Boy. I came here because I have a great idea for our project."_

" _You could have called to let me know." He said in a slightly flustered tone._

" _Yeah well, there's no fun in that." She said._

* * *

And ever since then, the name became her nickname for him. And for some odd reason, he didn't mind if it was she who called him that.

* * *

He looked in her direction. She was reading some book. She'd long turned the tv off and opted to dock her phone on its docking station that served as a speaker and put on Spotify. The music was softly playing in the background, to relieve the silence that permeated the room. Since she was so engrossed in her book, he took it as an opportunity to look at her without getting her annoyed or uncomfortable.

He'd made his intentions clear to her that night, when he first brought her to his house. He liked her. And he wanted to get to know her better. At first, he'd thought she would push him away. But he thanked the Gods that luck seemed to be in his favor. They'd grown closer even if she refused to acknowledge it. She'd become comfortable around him and could speak her mind whenever she was with him. He'd expected her to be just civil towards him but much to his (and everyone else's) surprise, she'd even gone beyond that. They were seen and heard exchanging banters or teasing each other yet when asked, Hotaru was always quick to respond that they were just friends.

He'd been meaning to ask her out, but wasn't exactly sure how to start that subject without pushing her away. Somehow, whenever the conversation would lead to that kind of topic, she would always find a way to veer the conversation to something else.

* * *

 _He asked his guy friends a few days ago on what he should do. And all of them had pretty much the same answer. They had been in the boys locker room, changing after a quick basketball match and the topic had been to no surprise, girls. Mochu, Kitsuneme, and Koko were with him and were talking about the different ways to ask girls out._

" _How do you ask a girl out if she only wants you two to be just friends?"_

" _Awww, did the Ice Princess friendzone you dude?" Mochu quipped and Ruka was faced with the hoots and cackles of his friends._

" _Well he was able to get closer to her than the rest of us so he's in better shape than you dude. You can't even get Anna to acknowledge your presence." Koko retorted and received a slap at the back of his head by Mochu._

" _I suggest you just ask her out directly. Imai is the kind of person that doesn't like to deal with bullshit, so sweet and flowery words won't work with her." Kitsu suggested and most of the guys agreed._

" _Yeah. You either get the answer you hope for which is a yes. Or rejected and then that's the end of it. So it's all or nothing Ruka my boy!" Koko slapped him hard on the back as the bell rang. He was quickly pushed out of the door after he got dressed as they were already late for their next class._

* * *

She felt his stare soon enough and she lowered her book slowly, confirming her suspicions.

"Got something to say to me Bunny Boy?" She said with an amused look as he squirmed on the sofa.

"Yeah.." He said hesitantly.

"Then spit it out. Quit staring at me all creepy like." She placed her bookmark on the page she was last reading and closed the book, setting it down on the table.

He blushed as she faced him and gave him her full attention.

"Well? I'm all ears." He took a huge swallow of the soda left in the can before he finally got the courage to say (well, actually stutter) his thoughts.

"G-go out w-with m-me…" He cursed himself for stuttering. He'd imagined this scene to go a lot differently but the cat was out of the bag and he held his breath, waiting for her to say something.

The room was filled with just the sound of the music coming out of her speakers and nothing else. His heart was pounding in his chest and despite the airconditioning in the living room, he was sweating.

"What?" He jumped when she finally spoke. He couldn't quite read the expression on her face.

"I said…" She interrupted him before he could repeat it.

"I heard you the first time. It was more of a reaction than a question, Ruka." The fact that she had called him by his first name gave him a sliver of hope.

"So will you go out with me?" He repeated the question, discreetly trying to steer her to an answer.

"No." And just like that his hopes were shattered.

* * *

She couldn't believe what she was hearing and she had let the word slip out of her mouth without her realizing it.

"What?" She could see he was waiting for an answer. An answer she didn't know how to give.

She'd been conflicted the past few weeks. She felt a connection with him. She felt happy whenever he was around. She could be herself when she was with him. But she didn't want to be in a relationship with him.

"I said…" She had to stop him before he asked her again.

"I heard you the first time. It was more of a reaction than a question, Ruka." She decided to call him by his first name to let him know she was taking this seriously.

"So will you go out with me." She mentally cringed at the words that she didn't want to hear and decided she would have to be upfront about this.

"No." She could see he didn't seem to take it badly but he was disappointed nonetheless. She didn't want their friendship to change yet she didn't want to venture into a relationship and end up losing him as a friend anyways. She needed to clear the air. She got up from the armchair and moved to sit next to him on the sofa. He scooted farther to give her space and she settled herself to face him before speaking.

"Listen Ruka. I like you. You make me laugh, you don't act like a jerk like most guys and you're smart. We have a good thing going for us and I just feel like, dating isn't cut out for us. I think you know much about me already to understand why I hate the concept of love and relationships. I just feel like the best way to ruin a relationship is to start one. What happens if we date and then it doesn't work out? I don't want to have to stop talking to you just because our attempts at dating failed or we find out we don't work out as a couple." She could feel his hesitance in the way he didn't look at her. And the one thought that crossed her mind was that she didn't want to lose him this way. So she did what she felt was best.

She placed her hand on his chin and tilted his face up so he would look at her.

"We're better staying as friends, right?" She asked, her lavender eyes piercing into his cerulean ones. He nodded, unable to say anything. Then she did what he least expected.

She leaned into him and pressed her lips on to his. He was surprised at first and when it finally dawned on him, he returned the kiss in fervor. Her lips were soft and she tasted like and he couldn't believe he was finally kissing her. Her hands were around his neck, and he caressed her cheek with his. They didn't stop kissing until they had to stop for air.

"Friends?" Hotaru asked him. Her face was flushed, and her heart was pounding. She had kissed boys before, but she'd never felt anything like how she felt when she kissed him. But even then, she didn't want a relationship with him. She liked him too much to actually go out with him and ruin the chemistry they had.

"Friends." He responded before pulling her back against him for another kiss.

 **END OF CHAPTER 5**

* * *

 **Before all of you say anything. Yes it is short. But I hope the content makes up for it :D**

 **I have been really busy at work and finding Work-Life-Balance is hard. It's not an excuse. I'm only stating it as a fact.**

 **In case anyone is confused, this happens weeks after the last chapter. Both Ruka and Hotaru have grown closer to each other, much to everyone's surprise. And Ruka gets rejected when he asks Hotaru out. But rejected in a good way.**

 **I'm going on a short vacation today after work. Despite it being the monsoon season here, my real life Natsume and I are going to the beach for some R &R. I'll be bringing my laptop with me so hopefully I can update from there. If the wifi is good.**

* * *

 **Derp1Derp2 –** Well she did drop by Ruka's house and found out about Usagi-chan! Haha and saw him in his underwear, if I may add. Hahaha Hope you enjoyed this update!

 **Guest –** Thank you so much! I try my best to make it so that it won't be the same as the cliché stuff you see in the rom-coms. Though it cannot be avoided but, I will try my best even then! :)

 **xxFLaMiNG MiLCuTexx –** Awww thank you so much for the love and support! And yeah her dad is such a douchebag which is why, she will not be attending the wedding. And yes, to celebrate my 25th story, I decided to do something different and make a RukaRu story ;)

 **Seraina-chan –** Hi there! Thank you for your review, it definitely made me smile. I'm glad that you find this story interesting and I do hope you enjoy this update. :) Ruka is indeed a gentleman and Hotaru is adorbs! Things seem to be going well for them, so let's see how the story unfolds in the next chapter ;)

 **YoNaMe –** Hahaha I meant it that way. I'm keen on knowing your thoughts for this chappie. I haven't heard from you in awhile.

 **Lychiis –** Well, tbh I haven't read or seen Perfect Chemistry. Now that you mention it, I will have to put it in my list. Same with Last Game. Haha. I'm curious to read what your thoughts are about his chapter too. Thank you for the awesome review! :*

 **yonggamhaji –** Thank you for the review! :) though the last part I couldn't quite get if it was a code or something.

* * *

 **Story cycle:**

 **Secrets - Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Probability - Philophobia**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


	6. Chapter 6: Friends?

**Ok, before you all go beast mode on me, I have no excuses to give. So I'm just going to say it. I'm so very very sorry for being away from FF for so long. The past six months have been quite hectic, and yes, they are still hectic now, but I was able to help my sister graduate, I've been financing her studies so had to work lots and lots the past few months, so I've gotten over one hurdle and freed up some of my time. :D**

 **I missed you all and I hope I can squeeze in a couple of stories a week if I can help it. I have a lot of reading to catch up to as well with all the new stories coming out in FF especially in the GA Fandom.**

 **I still stand by what I said that these stories will never get abandoned and though there may be a gap in my updates, rest assured I'm still here, alive and kicking, and these will get finished come hell or high water! ;)**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

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 _Previously:_

" _We're better staying as friends, right?" She asked, her lavender eyes piercing into his cerulean ones. He nodded, unable to say anything. Then she did what he least expected._

 _She leaned into him and pressed her lips on to his. He was surprised at first and when it finally dawned on him, he returned the kiss in fervor. Her lips were soft and she tasted like and he couldn't believe he was finally kissing her. Her hands were around his neck, and he caressed her cheek with his. They didn't stop kissing until they had to stop for air._

" _Friends?" Hotaru asked him. Her face was flushed, and her heart was pounding. She had kissed boys before, but she'd never felt anything like how she felt when she kissed him. But even then, she didn't want a relationship with him. She liked him too much to actually go out with him and ruin the chemistry they had._

" _Friends." He responded before pulling her back against him for another kiss._

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 **CHAPTER 6: FRIENDS?**

 **WEEKS LATER**

Mikan furrowed her brows as she watched Hotaru and Ruka from across the cafeteria. She was already seated at their table and was absentmindedly pushing around the food on her plate while observing her best friend. She'd noticed a change in Hotaru's demeanor and it started when Ruka had arrived in town. Not that the change was bad, it was just, for lack of a better word, new. Hotaru was still the same girl, but there was something Mikan couldn't quite figure out. She watched as Ruka teased her best friend and cleverly dodge the punch to the shoulder that was the expected reaction from Hotaru.

"Cut it out Nogi." She heard Hotaru say as they walked together towards the table where Natsume and Mikan were already sitting at.

"I told you to call me Ruka, Hotaru." Ruka retorted while rolling his eyes.

"Your name is boring. Another one comes to mind when I think of you." Hotaru said in a surprisingly sweet tone that nearly half of the student population in the cafeteria heard. It seemed like everything everyone was doing was suddenly unimportant as they strained their ears to eavesdrop on the conversation of the two oblivious, walking teenagers.

"Like what? Honey? Baby? Sweetheart?"

Hotaru slipped into the seat next to Mikan and waited until Ruka was across from her before beckoning to him to lean over so she could whisper in his ear.

"In your dreams, Bunny Boy!" She smiled as he looked at her with mock dejection.

She slipped the plastic off the wooden chopsticks that came with her lunch. The lunch menu had offered sushi which was one of her favorites. But before she could dig in, Mikan's question, which came suddenly out of the blue, made her forget of the platter on her tray.

"Are you two a couple?" Ruka who was already eating his second nigari almost choked at the unexpected query. The rest of the cafeteria waited with bated breath for the answer to what seemed like the answer to the rumors of Ruka and Hotaru going out for quite some time now.

"Mikan, where is this question coming from?" Hotaru turned to face her brunette best friend with a surprisingly calm face. She was aware of the spectacle they were becoming and didn't want to add any more fuel to the undying fire of what she considered as typical high school rumors.

"Why are you answering my question with another question?" Of course Mikan wouldn't back down until she got her answer. She was always like that.

"I'm surprised as to what made you ask that. We've all been hanging out together. " Equally as determined, Hotaru didn't back down as Mikan faced with her with the same determination in her eyes to get an answer.

"It's a yes or no question, Hotaru." The brunette crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot, obviously in an attempt to pressure Hotaru into answering.

"We're just friends." The word hung heavy in the silent air. And as if a veil had been lifted, the clink and clanks of utensils hitting plates picked up where they had left off before the offending question was asked by the rumor subject's best friend, of all people. Chatter began in earnest but all of that had gone unnoticed by the two girls glaring at each other at their table.

They glared at each other for what seemed like minutes (in reality, it was only a few seconds) before Mikan concluded she was fighting a losing battle. She felt there was really more to it than what Hotaru and Ruka dared to admit, but decided she would wait until they were ready to talk.

"Fine. 'Friends' it is." She emphasized her disbelief by throwing quotation mark gestures as she uttered the word 'friends' but left it at that.

"Even I have to admit that it's quite suspicious, Ruka." Natsume weighed-in his opinion much to Hotaru's annoyance.

"Is it really so inconceivable for me and Hotaru to be friends?" Ruka asked, quite curious as to what brought the topic about.

"Well to be fair, I may be overreacting a bit since this is the first time she's had a real guy friend." Natsume snorted at his girlfriend's comment as Ruka turned towards Hotaru.

"Isn't that guy from Chemistry class, your friend? The one with the glasses?" He asked her.

"Tobita's more of an acquaintance. I told you all that before". She gestured to Mikan who was sulking and taking it out on her jello. "One, this skeptical human being sitting next to me who doesn't believe you and I are just friends is my best friend. Two, I tolerate that human being sitting next to you because he is her boyfriend despite my disapproval. The rest are either acquaintances or people I have to interact with because of class. Now, everyone, have all your questions been answered?" She asked pointedly at the guilty looking trio sitting around her and they nodded mutely, sensing that it wouldn't be smart of them to get on her bad side.

"Good." She returned to her forgotten meal and the matter was dropped.

* * *

 **A FEW DAYS LATER**

Ruka pulled up at the Imai's driveway and let the engine idle as he glanced towards Hotaru sitting next to him in the passenger's seat. He had just picked up Hotaru after her shift at the arcade. Since she was so busy, Ruka had offered to pick her up on the days where she had to work at the arcade and drive her home. It allowed him to spend some time with her away from prying eyes and it got her home faster than if she walked or commuted. It was a win-win situation for both of them.

"What?" She asked, sensing his eyes on her.

"I didn't say anything." He said defensively.

"But you were thinking of saying something." She said with an amused smirk.

"How would you know that? Are you a mind reader?" He taunted, a bit embarrassed of being called out of what he really was about to do.

"No, bunny boy, I don't read minds, but going through years of middle school and high school has taught me to observe most people's body language. Don't tell me this has something to do with the conversation we had with Mikan and Hyuuga that day in the cafeteria."

"Why would you say that?" He blushed slightly, knowing she had caught on to what he had been thinking.

"Because, Mister Obvious, you've been slightly off since that day. You purposely avoided me for the rest of that day. And you've been keeping your distance for the past couple of days."

"You know you'd actually make a lot of money putting up your own detective agency." He said, jumping at the chance to distract her from the current topic, but there was no swaying her.

"Nice try bunny boy. Now spill it." She crossed her arms across her chest feigning impatience but she couldn't quite hide the amusement in her lavender eyes.

"Well, I was thinking…." He said hesitantly.

"No." She said in a definite tone.

"I haven't even finished yet!" He exclaimed, taken aback that she had interrupted what he was about to ask her.

"I know what you're going to ask Ruka, but you already know my answer to that is no." She looked at him with resolve.

"And what was I about to ask?" He humored her, half hoping she would get the answer wrong.

"You were going to say.." She raised her hands and made quotation gestures as she said exactly was on her mind. "…I was thinking that maybe we should go out and date." The look on his face was enough to confirm that she was right and she rolled her eyes as he stared at her in awe.

"You know maybe you are a mind reader. Maybe you have mental telepathy like that Professor X has in X-Men have or probably you're a certified Legilimens like Voldemort in Harry Potter!"

"Stop nerding out Ruka. You really are just easy to read." She said with a laugh as she gathered her stuff and closed her coat. Winter was fast approaching and each day got colder than the next.

"But you really won't go out with me?"

"No Ruka. I won't. I like you too much already to consider going out with you." She said seriously.

"What? I don't get it?"

"Well, it's kind of practical really. I mean, we see it everyday in the movies, soap operas, books, and in real life even. When two people of the opposite sex date or get together, eventually one of them or in some cases both, get hurt. Is that really what you want? For one, or both of us to get hurt?"

"Well, no…" He was about to refute but he felt her hand stroking his cheek.

"Neither do I. I meant what I said Ruka. I like you. A little too much already. And I don't want to get hurt or to hurt you." Little did he know it took much out of her to admit her feelings to him in such a manner. What he could only think of in that moment was that her face was only inches away from his. He closed the gap and once again, they were kissing in the dimly lit car.

"I like you too Hotaru. Maybe a little too much as well. And I will never hurt you." He said and she smiled at him. She kissed him softly on the lips.

"Friends?" She asked.

"Friends." He responded. If they stayed that way, maybe she would change her mind in the future. And he decided he could live with that and wait rather than pressuring her to date him and pushing her away.

He watched as she slipped inside her house after waving goodbye before backing out of her driveway and driving home.

* * *

"Well, well, well…" Hotaru jumped as she heard a voice from behind her.

She had just gotten in after Ruka drove away. She was rarely caught off guard but after having that moment with Ruka, her head was in the clouds and she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She turned to find Mikan standing just a few feet behind her, cellphone at hand with what looks like a video on the screen. She paled as her eyes sought out what Mikan was trying to show her.

The captured video was grainy, but upon closer inspection, there was no denying what the brunette had managed to capture. She paled as she saw herself locking lips with Ruka inside his car.

"Care to explain this to me, Hotaru?"

 **END OF CHAPTER 6**

* * *

 **Okay. Soooo hopefully my writing skills haven't rusted yet. Haha**

 **Let me know how my comeback to FF did. How about a welcome back gift of reviews minna? XD**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**

* * *

 **newroz –** hey sweetie! I hope you are doing fine! And thank you for your review!

 **N. Risa –** Hey girl! I missed you. I have some catching up to do on your stories and I plan to catch up on them on my vacay time this coming week. And yeah, I agree with you, Ruka is Hotaru's b**ch from day 1. Haha and although Hotaru's rejection from chapter 5 does appear to be a tad cowardly or arrogant, with all the heartbreak she's seen in her life, it isn't unusual. Let's see how she gets over it (if she ever will) and how it affects her and Ruka eh?

 **Seraina-chan –** Well, based on this chappie, I think it's safe to say that Hotaru does like Ruka. But will she stay behind the friend-zone forever? Or will she take a risk? I'm glad that I was able to stir that kind of reaction out of my readers like you and I hope after my 6 month hiatus you will still read and like the story. :D

And I know I would want to get rejected like that. Well, an acceptance would be better but that kind of rejection would hurt a lot less than being rejected out right ;) hahaha

 **Guest –** Hey there! Thank you for your review and I'm glad you liked the twist. Stay tuned for more!

 **Derp1Derp2 –** Yeah well, you know how I like to twist things up a bit ;) and who knows, maybe they will remain friends, maybe they won't? It's all on how Hotaru and Ruka play things out as things unravel. And I know this may come as a bit late, like 6 months too late, but enjoy this update! XD

 **Lychiis –** Thank you! And yeah I believe Hotaru may be hiding behind that wall for now. Hopefully it will turn romantic soon. Not that it's not yet already romantic but you know what I mean.

And a sidenote on that trip, that ended up as our last beach trip in like 6 months. We're due for another one this Tuesday the 6th if you ever read this before then. Haha. Things have been so busy after December that I really haven't gotten a moment to myself to write again until now. Hopefully I won't be as busy as I was the past six months. I've gotten into a groove at work so I'll be able to crank out a couple of chapters each week or more (I hope)

 **SuzuwakoFurika –** Thank you for your kind words. I try to make my fics as relatable as possible. I'm a fan of books and movies that make me feel like I'm in it and I hope to do the same for the readers.

 **YoNaMe –** Gurl, I think I owe you a lot of chapters on this one now. Haha. She kissed him because she felt like kissing him? Hahaha well, she likes him, she just doesn't want to date him. That kind of scenario. Because she doesn't want to get hurt or hurt him. Hopefully, this chapter brings clarity to that question. XD

 **Hn victuuri –** Hi! :D thank you for your review!

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 **Story cycle:**

 **Fairie Tales - Starting Over Again - The Scam - Probability - Philophobia**

 **Secrets (ON HOLD)**

 **Read, Follow, Favorite and Leave a Review!**

 **Ja Ne!**

 **xoxo Lexi1989**


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